What Are The Signs? When To Move Your Toddler From Her Crib To A Bed

This parenting thing isn’t easy and many times it doesn’t come with straightforward answers to our problems. One of the things I struggle with as a mom is knowing when my child is ready for their next stage of development. No two kids are the same. So if you’re wondering: when is the right time to move my toddler from her crib to a bed? Here’s what happened when my 2 kids transitioned and some tell-tale signs to help you know when it’s time.

Like many parents, my hubby and I were a little nervous about switching our daughter over to a big girl bed. Because she has such an independent spirit, we were concerned that she would use her new found freedom to her advantage. Or, that she would quickly learn how to open her door and get into something dangerous. I was always freaked out by the idea that she would manage to get out of her room and wake me in the middle of a deep sleep, scaring the crap out of me, with a “Mommy?”

Or that she would start playing with things plugged into the walls, like her night light or T.V.

The crib was our “baby jail”.

But we couldn’t keep her in there. She needed to grow in her independence. We were just gonna have to come up with more safety measures to keep her out of trouble.

Time For The Big Boy Bed

I remember years ago when my son was ready to transition. That was back when drop-side cribs were on the market. OMG! I miss those. He would try to climb out of the crib by hanging one of his legs over the side. But because there was a soft sofa close to his crib, he had a safety net to fall on. The sofa took away his fears of getting hurt. It was the perfect tool for helping him get in and out of bed. On a couple of occasions, he missed the edge of the couch while climbing out and fell to the floor with a thud. But I guess that wasn’t enough deterrent for him.

So we took the side off the crib and would line the floor on the open side of his bed with comforters, in case he fell during the night.

I remember being so nervous that I slept on the sofa next to his bed, hoping to prevent him from falling out. I realize now that we can’t shield them from every little bump and scrape. It took about 2 nights of falls for him to get used to the concept and sleep fine through the night.

Then I had to worry about him opening his door and falling down the stairs, which he did once. I managed to catch him halfway down. Thank God, the stairs were plush carpeted so he wasn’t injured. But it sure scared us half to death.

Kids are so freakin’ resilient. They run off laughing from danger while we are on the verge of a heart attack.

Overcoming Fears: Move Your Toddler From Her Crib

One day last week, I grabbed the allen wrench and finally took off the front of her convertible crib. She was so excited as she watched me remove the side. I explained to her that she was becoming a big girl and it was time to start sleeping in a big girl bed. I made a pretty big deal out of it for her.

Then I explained that she could get in and out of the bed when she wanted. She could sit in her bed and watch TV instead of using her chair if she wanted. And when naptime or bedtime came, she could help mommy and daddy by getting in the bed all by herself.

I still use the same comforter trick as I used with her brother. She’s fallen out of the bed a few times and she’s been caught playing with toys when she should be in the bed. I even caught her standing on her rocking horse while opening her shades one day. What she didn’t know is that I was on our balcony looking at her from the other side of the window. I gave her the screw face and motioned for her to “Get your butt in the bed!” She immediately started crying because she was caught and I couldn’t stop laughing. It was hilarious! #momwin

Yeah…she’s only 2 years old. But I’ll let her be great and think she’s 3.

But she’s getting used to sleeping without boundaries. It has also helped her potty independence. She gets up and knocks on her door when she has to go, even if it’s in the middle of the night!

In fact, I forgot to put on her diaper at night twice and she’s gotten up totally dry and ready to use the potty first thing in the morning.

So far, the benefits far outweigh any of our fears. I’m just mad that we didn’t remove the side of her crib earlier. We could have saved ourselves a lot of worry.

Founder, Editor-in-Chief of Women's Lifestyle Blog, Naturally Stellar | Beauty Writer and Content Creator | I left corporate life 7+ years ago, to pursue my goal of becoming a writer. Boom!! I did that! Now I'm an accomplished writer and boss babe running a successful blog business. You should hire me! #RockStarMoms